Hi everyone,
I'm a blind developer, and I've been frustrated for years with how I get around. Normally I end up juggling three apps for a single trip, one that walks me there more or less, one with the good places and reviews, and one for transit, and even then, standing on a corner, I often don't know which way I should start walking, which side of the street I'm on, or what the intersections ahead of me and behind me are actually like. What makes it worse is that the information to do this well already exists, we just don't have it in a usable form.
The clearest example is intersections. Most apps just tell us there's an intersection coming and that's about it, but they don't tell us where each crossing actually is, whether it's a traffic light or just a marked crossing, whether the signal is audible, whether there's a button you have to find and press, how far from the corner it is, whether there's an island you can stop on halfway across, and all of that is what decides whether we cross confidently or stand there working it out. There are good apps out there, Soundscape Community, VoiceVista, Lazarillo and others, and I use them, but none of them really gets that detail right, and none of them puts the surroundings, walking directions and transit together in one place.
So a few months ago I started building the app I always wanted, and honestly I'm really happy with how it's coming together. The whole point of callmaps is getting those descriptions right and as detailed as possible, the intersections, the shape of the streets, roundabouts, park entrances, where each crossing is and what kind it is, which side of the street a place is on, and so on. There's also a street preview, so you can explore an area and get a feel for how the city is laid out before you ever set foot there. That same detail carries into the routes, so when you start one it tells you which way to begin walking and lets you know you're heading in the right direction, the distance to each turn counts down in real time as you go, and it uses the compass so you're never guessing about direction. And it puts everything in one app, walking and surroundings and transit together, with the right exit out of a station and bus and train arrivals updating in real time, so there's no jumping between apps for a single trip. The idea behind all of it is that you can head somewhere completely new and actually feel confident doing it.
The thing is, so far I've only been able to test it on my own, in my own city, and that's really why I'm posting. I'd love people to try it somewhere that isn't mine and tell me where the descriptions are wrong or thin, because it's built on open map data and that feedback is exactly what makes it better for everyone. It's on iPhone first, since that's what I use every day, and Android is coming too.
I'm getting the beta ready on TestFlight now. It's free while I build it out, and I haven't settled on final pricing yet. For now there's a short waitlist:
If you put your country and city on the form, that really helps, because I enable regions ahead of time and can switch on the detail near you before you join. I'll start sending invites very soon.
Thanks,
Bruno
Comments
Signed up
Looking forward to trying this app out.
I admit I don't get around much, but I'm always up for good travel apps.
Thanks!
Great! ❤️
There are already people on the list! I'm working out the final details. I'll send out the invitations as soon as I can.
Navigating Saint Paul, MN.
HI, I registered. I'm verry interested to see how this works in ST. Paul, a city that well, just is not grid like. Thanks. I love the concept and if it really is possible to get that kind of information accurately it will definitely be a tool worth paying for.
Re: Navigating Saint Paul, MN.
That's the idea! Only perfect cities are square. I'm in Madrid right now, and it's pretty complicated to explain with so many different types of intersections. At first, it would be best if you tried it out in places you already know, so you can tell if the app is giving you the wrong information and try to fix the algorithm. I'll let you know as soon as I have any updates!
demo
can we hear this in action?
i signed up but am wondering could it help me get anywhere? even on a route i may not know, from my starting position?
or will it expect me to only be walking a designated route as defined by a mobility instructor?
Re: demo
Thank you for your interest! I don't have a demo yet, because things are changing so quickly. I'm working as fast as I can to get everything ready and send out the invitations.
And yes, for each location, the app shows you possible routes with step-by-step directions. You can mark each step as if it were a waypoint, and see how far away that waypoint is, which direction it’s in, and you can rotate your phone to see if you’re heading toward it or not. Plus, each waypoint has an instruction, such as “cross X Street,” “turn onto X Street,” “continue on X Street,” or many other types of instructions.
I haven’t added the option to create routes manually yet. For now, the goal is to create a mapping app for the blind that sighted people take for granted, and that, unfortunately, we don’t have yet. Once the street and route descriptions are reliable enough, yes, I can add all those kinds of features.
Even so, this doesn’t replace a mobility instructor. You’ll still need orientation and mobility skills.
I thought it was just me who had trouble with those apps.
I'd like to help. I don't get out much anymore because I have trouble walking even short distances, but another traveling app in my itinerary would be fun.
can we customize?
It sounds as though this app will be giving us loads of feedback. Will there be toggles that we can turn on and off depending on what info we want? I'm thing that this app might be producing a lot of chatter. Also, dies it use Voice-over, or is it self voicing? What I'm looking for is one app that does everything while I am walking or in a vehicle. A lot of people swear by Blind Square, but it cannot be used while you're traveling. It is for route planning, but not while you're on the move.
Re: I thought it was just me who had trouble with those apps.
That means I wasn't so crazy back then either! Great—if you're on the form, I'll send you the invitation soon.
Re: can we customize?
For now, I've made the real-time announcements customizable, but I'm sure we can customize anything else people ask for. The app uses the VoiceOver voice when you're in it, and when it's running in the background, it uses the voice of your choice, with the speed and pitch you select. If you don't use VoiceOver, it will use that voice at all times.
RE: Callmaps
Hello. I am from Canada, and I am very interested in this app. I posted my details on the form as requested, and I am eagerly waiting for the invite to test this app! I have some questions for you. Will this app tell me when it is safe to cross lighted intersections? Will this app work in my city right now? When is describes intersections, will it tell me "approaching X Street, Y Street on your right, Z street in front of you, Q Street on your left." How soon will I be able to take this app for a spin, because I looked for it on the App store, and I did not see it. Thanks!
GPS are not traffic signal readers
That's why you take orientation and mobility lessons. You, not your phone, determine when to cross a street. A dog guide will not cross if it is not safe, but you tell the dog what you want he or she to do, and when.
Re: Guide dogs
Guide dogs, well trained ones at least, also block you from stepping out in front of oncoming traffic. This is especially useful for the quiet hybrid vehicle such as the Toyota Prius. Since typically we cannot hear those. Sadly, I do not see an application doing this for us anytime soon.
Update
Hi! Thank you so much to everyone who has joined and for your interest. I wasn’t prepared to add so many cities, so I’ve fallen a little behind while I optimize the algorithm to process them all on a server that isn’t so expensive. It’s kind of reassuring to realize I wasn’t alone in my frustration. I’ve made a lot of progress, and I’d love to be able to send out invitations this week or next. I’m really working full steam ahead to send out the invitations as soon as possible. I’m super excited. Sorry for the delay.
As for intersections, the app lets you know when you’re approaching an intersection and tells you what shapes the streets form. It could be a cross, T, Y, multi-way, roundabout, etc. And it tells you which streets are there and which way they go. If you turn on the compass, you can rotate the phone to know exactly which direction each street leads. Also, if the data is available and accurate, you’ll know which streets have crossings and how many meters away from the corner they are. If you’re in the middle of a block, you can rotate the phone to know which intersections are behind and in front of you.
There are no instructions for crossing the street. All I can tell you is which street allows you to cross at a specific traffic light or crosswalk. Eventually, if we had the data, we could connect to cities that have traffic light status, or do something like what Oko does to detect the traffic light signal using the camera. That’s why it’s very important that you have mobility skills. The app doesn’t replace any of this, it simply enhances the knowledge and information you have about your surroundings and your location.
I’ll keep you posted!
Hey Brunno.
I was wondering If Your product would work in Oklahoma City. I was waiting for a product like this or an app, and It did. Send me an invite, if you like.
Re: Cities
Hi! Yes, it can work in any city, but I have to add it first. If I wanted to cover the entire planet, it would be very expensive, although that’s definitely the goal for the future. That’s why I asked you for the cities in advance. I’ll add Oklahoma City and all the cities you’ve listed. Of course, how much the app can offer will depend on the data available for each city, so the amount of information may vary from one city to another.
Excited to test it in Moscow Russia
Hey! To say that I’m stoked about this app as a totally blind traveler is to say nothing! I’m willing to test the thing in my hometown Moscow, while I’m here till December….
P.s. I really hope that, later on, you’ll be able to add the ability to integrate Google Maps and Apple Maps there, and the opportunity to download maps for an offline use. It’s something that I really miss when using BlindSquare